On Sunday, 8 December, I attended a memorial service for Kate Smith. Kate was an enthusiastic and tireless contributor to the local community. Those of us who ever volunteered for anything would have encountered her at some time. As far as I am aware, she was not a member of BYS, however she was intimately involved in the early days of our BYS Pink Day fundraiser.
The BYS Pink Day was born when Tom O’Donohue learned that his mate Don Cortis, Commodore of Yorkeys Knob Boat Club, (FNQ) whose wife had been a breast cancer victim, had turned their Ladies Skipper’s Day into a breast cancer fundraiser. In the fine Australian spirit of ‘whatever you can do, I can do better,’ Tom made an instant decision that we should do the same at BYS.
At the time, I was intimately involved with the Sorrento Community Centre as Board Chair. In those days, the SCC hosted a branch of the Peninsula Community Wig Library. Established in 2008 by Peninsula Private Hospital and Beleura Private Hospital, the Peninsula Community Wig Centre is a free community service available to anyone living on the Mornington Peninsula experiencing hair loss due to treatment for cancer.
The service is run by dedicated volunteers many of whom are trained hairdressers. There are a variety of wigs and scarves available on loan to clients and over 1000 wigs have been loaned since opening.
The Wig Library was Kate’s baby.
I had barely muttered the words. ‘Pink Day’ and Kate was on board, bringing with her, her unbounded enthusiasm and an armload of contacts. Given the go ahead from the club, a small group of enthusiastic volunteers from the SCC, BYS and Kate’s many contacts gathered at our home, went to work and the BYS Pink Day was born.
Our original group kept at it for a number of years, raising up to $8,000 on one occasion. As age began to take its toll on the original volunteers, the club assumed full responsibility for the day which continues to raise money for the oganisations close to Kate’s heart.
RIP Kathleen Mary Smith – 7 November 1957 to 2 November 2024.
It was a privilege to know you.
Helen Gleeson
